


Day 2 - Babysitting (or Ma mère l'Oye)

by AAfanbug (TheEyeofTheOncomingStorm)



Series: Ladrien June 2018 [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: De-aged Chat Noir, Kid Fic, Ladrien June, but I think the build up is worth it, might write a proper epilogue after the month is over, okay, this one's a little light on the actual Ladrien moments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-18 21:23:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14860551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEyeofTheOncomingStorm/pseuds/AAfanbug
Summary: The powers of the akuma Mère l'Oye or Mother Goose, are a mystery, until Chat starts to show some small effects.





	Day 2 - Babysitting (or Ma mère l'Oye)

**Author's Note:**

> The name is borrowed from a work of Maurice Ravel by the same title. Links in case anyone is interested.
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_m%C3%A8re_l%27Oye  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w7RqLSDeFw

It took them awhile to understand what this akuma’s powers were. Mother Goose, as she was called, simple talked to people, and walked about, and occasionally pressed a kiss onto her hand, and touched a person’s head or cheek, leaving a faint pink kiss mark on them.

At first, nobody actually seemed to be affected, and after an initial panic, people mostly carried on with business as usual. But after spending an hour after the initial confrontation with Mother Goose (who was actually better at fighting than they thought), Ladybug realized that something was wrong with Chat.

Ladybug frowned at him. “Weren’t you… taller?”

Chat looked at her, confused, but realized that she was right. He was at eye level with her once again, just like when they’d started out as heroes.

“Did you have a growth spurt or something?” Chat asked.

“No, I think…” She frowned, and stepped closer to him. “I think you’re shrinking.”

“Shrinking?” Chat grinned. “Well, no matter how tall or short I am, I’ll never shrink from danger, m’lady.”

“This isn’t funny, Chat.” Her face creased in worry. “If we don’t catch the akuma in time, you’ll shrink away to nothing.”

“Well then-” He extended his baton. “Let’s find that akuma!”

 

* * *

 

Finding her proved to be harder than they thought. Because the akuma didn’t have particularly dangerous powers, they couldn’t rely on the public to guide them. They the occasional update from the Ladyblog was all they had to go on. After a while, Ladybug realized that Chat wasn’t just shrinking.

He was getting younger.

Chat didn’t seem to notice at first, but after Ladybug sent him a number of concerned glances, he finally confronted her. “Do I have something on my face or something? Why do you keep looking at me?”

“I’m not!”

“Really?” Chat challenged her.

She sighed. “Okay,fine. I don’t think you’re just shrinking, I think you’re…”

“I’m…” He prompted. “What?”

“De-aging.”

“So, I’m getting younger?”

“I think so.”

“So… if we don’t defeat that akuma in time, I won’t just shrink to nothing, I’ll…”

“Revert to being a child.” Ladybug finished. “Or a baby.”

“Oh.” The gravity of the situation hit him and, for once, he didn’t have a joke. “So… find the akuma?”

Ladybug nodded, and they were off once more.

 

* * *

 

 

Ladybug estimated that Chat was the equivalent of a ten year old now, and estimated that he lost about a year for every hour. Chat was beginning to get annoyed with the heroine, however, since she was taking pictures of him as often as she could. He hissed at her after she snapped yet another picture of him.

“Oh come on, Chat!” She said. “This might never happen again! You’re so cute as a kid, Chat Noir!”

He scowled at her, and she giggled, snapping another picture with her yo-yo. It chimed as she got another alert from the Ladyblog.

As they went to find Mother Goose, Chat said, “None of those pictures had better end up on the Ladyblog!”

“Don’t worry Chat.” Ladybug assured him. “I’m not posting them anywhere. They are far too precious for the internet.”

"Thank goodness for small favors." He grumbled.

 

* * *

 

“Chat, look out!”

He looked up but it was too late. Mother Goose had already reached him. As she reached out, her forward momentum forced Chat to stumble backwards against a building. Ladybug whipped her yo-yo forward and it wrapped around the akumatized object, a book she mostly kept tucked under one arm, but Mother Goose yanked it back, pulling Ladybug off her feet. She jumped up, ready to fight, but Mother Goose was gone.

Ladybug looked around for Chat, and gasped. He was still sitting where he had landed, rubbing his head from where he’d hit it against the wall. She felt guilty. He may still be her partner, but he couldn’t fight like this. She should have sent him home when they realized he was getting younger. She ran over to him and knelt by his side.

“Chat Noir, are you okay?” She asked worriedly.

“I’m fine.” He stood up. “Let’s go!”

“Wait, Chat.” Ladybug placed a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you should go home.”

He shook his head vehemently. “No. We need to find and cleanse the akuma, then I’ll go back to normal.”

Ladybug noticed the approach of fans and reporters. “Let’s talk somewhere more private.”

Despite his protests, she swept him up and carried him to a nearby rooftop.

"Put me down!" He shouted. She did, and he glared at her angrily.

She shrugged at him. “This was faster.”

He stomped to the other side of the rooftop, and sat down, hugging his legs as he stared out at the whole of Paris. Ladybug sighed, and sat next to him. After she felt he’d had enough time to calm down a little, she spoke to him softly.

“Chat, it’s too dangerous for you to be out here fighting like this.”

“I’ve been fighting akumas for as long as your have.” He muttered.

“I know. I know you have.” She said sympathetically. “Your experience, your abilities, that’s not the problem. The problem is that you are now physically the equivalent of a nine year old. I didn’t even think about it until we were actually fighting. All this time we were chasing Mother Goose, I wasn’t thinking that you would actually have to fight like this.”

“I can still fight!” Chat said. “I was doing pretty well, until the end when she came at me. But the suits protect us. I’m fine!”

“And what happens when you’re not?” Ladybug said firmly. “Whoever you really are, I don’t think your family would appreciate it if you came home beaten to a pulp.”

Chat muttered something sullenly, but she couldn’t understand it. “What was that?”

“I said I’d be fine.”

Ladybug sighed again. “Chat, what I’m trying to say is… maybe you should just go home.”

Chat reaction was strong, and immediate.

“No!” He cried. “Don’t make me go back home!”

Her eyes widened in surprise. The intense emotion in his voice startled her. “Is it really that bad, Chat? I mean, some of the stuff you’ve said made me think it wasn’t exactly a happy place but…”

“It’s not… bad.” Chat said quietly. “It’s just cold. And lonely. And… even when my dad’s around, or Nat- I mean, my dad’s employee’s, it’s still feels really empty. And I feel empty too.”

Tears threatened to fall from his eyes, and Ladybug felt bad for him. That he felt that way about his own home, that it took an akuma for him to admit this to her. That they hadn’t had an honest conversation about their lives. Even a vague one.

“Oh, Chat. Come here.” She pulled him into a hug. He hugged her back.

“I’m sorry.” She said. “It’s not exactly safe but… you can stay with me while I chase this akuma. But you have to stay out of any fight we come across. I mean, you’ve already been hit twice, which means we only have a few hours left. I hate to say this, but you'll just be in the way. I can't watch out for you and fight the akuma."

Chat looked up at her, eyes shining gratefully. "I'll be careful, I promise!"

"Extra careful." Ladybug said solemnly. "Like, extra super, _ultra_ careful."

He nodded, and against her better judgement, let him tag along.

 

* * *

 

 

Finally, they had tracked down Mother Goose. Chat was about eight now, and was starting to have trouble using his baton. Ladybug had carried him, but now that she was getting ready to fight, she made Chat stay back, out of harm’s way. If she failed to defeat the akuma in time, or Chat got hit again… well, she tried not to think about it.

She was about to run after Mother Goose, when the tiny Chat Noir grabbed her arm. Ladybug looked down at him. He looked terrified. She quickly knelt in front of him. "Chat, what's wrong?"

"I don't want you to fight alone!" Chat's jaw wobbled as he spoke. "I wanna help!"

"I'm sorry, Chat. We already talked about this." Ladybug looked over her shoulders, keeping an eye on the akuma. "Friends don't let friends fight akumas when they're eight years old."

He turned his face up to her, eyes wide. “We’re best friends forever, right?”

“Of course, Chaton.” Ladybug face softened as she smiled at him. “Now, please, stay here, and stay quiet. The last thing I need is for you to get hit a third time.”

She turned away from him and ran in the direction of the departing akuma. As she ducked behind a car, however, he noticed the akuma look behind her, and notice Ladybug. Chat clenched his fists and got ready to run and fight, no matter what Ladybug said. But the akuma just grinned and turned back around. His eyes widened as he realized that his best friend was walking to into a trap.

“Ladybug!” He screeched. A wave of desperate panic overtook her, and she stood and turned, waving Chat back to his hiding place.

Mother Goose spotted them both, and cackled, and began heading towards them. Chat ran right at her. Ladybug tried to intercept him before he got within arm's reach of the akuma.

"Chat, no!" She screamed. "Stay away from her!"

Mother Goose  laughed again, and shifted her direction slightly. “Well, well, Chat Noir, looks like you’re going to de-age all your nine lives! But it looks like your friend Ladybug has some catching up to do first!”

He glanced over at Ladybug, and got an idea.

“Cataclysm!” Chat hit the pavement with his energy-imbued hand, and almost instantaneously, cracks started branching out towards the akuma. She screeched and jumped back.

“This isn’t over, Kid Noir and Ladybug!” She shouted at them as she ran away. “Mother _always_ knows best!”

Ladybug was torn between chasing Mother Goose, and staying with Chat. She decided that she needed to get him somewhere safe before he transformed back, and revealed his identity. If she would even be able to recognized an seven-year-old version of his civilian self.

“Oh, Chat, you wish you hadn’t done that!” She fretted.

“You’re my friend.” Chat blinked back tears. “I’m sorry I messed up your plan, but she was gonna trap you. I couldn’t just let her get you.”

His miraculous beeped.

“We really have to get you home now, Chaton.” She said softly. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you mad at me?”

His voice was barely louder than a breath, but he sounded so heartbreakingly crushed that Marinette was nearly in tears herself. Miraculous or identities be damned, she knelt in front of him, made sure he was looking at her, and smiled at him warmly.

“I’m not mad at you, Chat.” She said, her jaw beginning to shake. “Just worried. You scare me sometimes, when you try to save me, or take hits for me. I-”

Chat threw himself at her in a hug with such force that she’s almost pushed over, but she quickly recovered, and hugged him back. They just stayed like that for a few moments.

“I’m sorry I scared you.” He mumbled. “You scare me sometimes too.”

“When?” Ladybug asked. “When did I scare you?”

“When we were fighting Animan and you jumped into the t-rex’s mouth.” Chat said. “Or when you jumped from the Eiffel Tower to save Mylene. Or when you faced off against Riposte to protect me.”

She sighed.

“I know. Sometimes I scare myself too. I’m sorry. Unfortunately, it’s all part of- wait, what?” She pushed him away gently. ‘Riposte was after Adrien, not you.”

Panic flashed in the boy’s eyes. “Ah! I- that’s what I meant! When you were protecting Adrien!”

_Beep_

“We have to get you somewhere safe.” Ladybug looked around.

“I have a friend that lives a few blocks from here.” Chat said. “Just drop me off in front of his building and I’ll be fine.”

She nodded, and they were there in a matter of minutes. She watched him go inside and into the elevator. Recognizing this as the building where Nino lived, she took out her yoyo and send him a text.

_Nino Lahiffe, there is an akuma affected person I just dropped off at your apartment building. I don’t think he lives there, so could you watch out for him? He’s looks like he’s about seven right now. I know I can trust you to take care of him.  
_

She sighed as she slung her yoyo back around her hips.

“He’ll be fine.” She murmured to herself. “Now, to find that akuma…”

Mother Goose was defeated within the hour, and Marinette went home, to catch a few hours of sleep before she had to go to school the next day.

 

* * *

 

Marinette was asleep on her feet the next day, only vaguely aware of the presence of others. But she woke up fully when she heard Nino telling Alya about his exciting night before.

"-so it's like, three in the morning and I get a text, right? And at first I think it's from you telling me about the akuma or an alert from your blog or something. But I check my phone, and it's Ladybug!"

Marinette smiled a little as Alya gasped. 

"No! I was up all night chasing the akuma. Show me it! Why didn't you call me?"

Nino handed her his phone. "Well, I would have, except someone turned up on my doorstep."

Adrien's voice was quiet. "I said I was sorry."

Marinette's eyes widened. It couldn't be. It had to be a coincidence...

"Hey, it's not your fault, man." Nino slung his arm around Adrien's shoulder. "And, hey, at least Ladybug dropped you off at my place instead of your house. I can't imagine the kind of tantrum your dad would throw if you turned up at three in the morning looking like you're seven years old."

Alya gasped again. "Nino, please tell me you have pictures!"

"Despite my best efforts to avoid it, yes." Adrien confirmed.

"Oh, come on, you're a model, you get your picture taken all the time." Nino dismissed him.

Alya and Nino were too distracted to notice what Adrien said next. Marinette heard, though, and was stunned into silence until the lunch bell rang.

"And if someone hadn't already been taking pictures of me all night, I might have been fine with it." Adrien muttered darkly to himself. "I swear, if one of those pictures of kid Chat ends up on the internet..."

**Author's Note:**

> Epilogue
> 
> "Girl, are you okay? You haven't said anything all morning."
> 
> "..."
> 
> "Marinette?"
> 
> "..."
> 
> "Mari-"
> 
> "I'mfineIneedtotalktoChat,ImeanAdrien, bye!"


End file.
